Cops: Man, 33, fatally stabbed ex-girlfriend

Chicago Tribune reporter Adam Sege describes the Chicago's overnight crimes, including shootings that left five people injured and one dead. (Posted September 10, 2013)

Chicago Tribune reporter Adam Sege describes the Chicago's overnight crimes, including shootings that left five people injured and one dead. (Posted September 10, 2013)

Adam SegeTribune reporter

A 33-year-old west suburban man broke into his ex-girlfriend's Heart of Chicago neighborhood home, stabbed her to death and attacked her new boyfriend, officials said today.

Emilio Izguirre, of the 3200 block of South Kenilworth Avenue in Berwyn, faces a first-degree murder charge in connection with the slaying of Joanna Lopez, 26. He is also charged with home invasion causing injury.

Lopez, who police said was Izguirre's ex-girlfriend, was fatally stabbed early Sunday morning at her home in the 1700 block of West 21st Place. She died on the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Izguirre was ordered held in lieu of $1.5 million bail in a hearing before Criminal Court Judge Israel Desierto.

Izguirre broke into Lopez's home about 6:45 a.m., where Lopez and her boyfriend were sleeping, began yelling at Lopez and punched her boyfriend in the face, assistant state's attorney Amanda Pillsbury said in court. Lopez woke up and called 911, and her boyfriend began to fight back, getting Izguirre off him and running for the door, prosecutors said.

Izguirre followed the boyfriend to the door and closed it behind him. The boyfriend ran to a nearby gas station and asked a clerk there to call police, prosecutors said.

When police arrived at the house and knocked on the door, Izguirre, who was covered in blood, answered the door and then closed the door, prosecutors said. Officers knocked a second time, and Izguirre answered the door again, then closed it again.

Police were able to get into the home and found Izguirre in a back bedroom, kneeling by Lopez, who was on her back, covered in blood, with numerous stab wounds to the head and neck and part of a knife still lodged in her above the neck, prosecutors said.

In all, police found five knives in the home, including the one in Lopez's body and one in Isguirre's pants pocket, prosecutors said.

After his arrest, Izguirre told police that Lopez deserved to die because she was with her new boyfriend, and that she had brought it on herself, prosecutors said.

An autopsy by the Cook County medical examiner's office determined Lopez had suffered more than 20 stab wounds, and died as a result of the stab wounds, in a homicide.

At the time of his arrest, Isguirre was out on $125,000 bond on a charge of aggravated battery to a police officer, prosecutors said. The charge stemmed from a June 2011 incident in which 13 people were charged after attacking police who tried to break up a large fight in Little Village. He now faces a charge of violating his bond in that case, which is still pending.